"The only thing that matters are my children. I was scared of dying, I gave up racing but not bikes, now I have fun"

Max Biaggi was a guest on Italian TV show Domenica In and spoke about life following the very serious accident that he had, more than one year ago now. What looked to be a simple crash while he was training with his supermotard, turned out to be a lot worse than first though, the Italian taking on the toughest and most important battle of his life.

“I crashed at 40 km/h, but I don't remember anything about the accident, only waking up in A&E - he recalls - I had 12 broken ribs and a collapsed lunch, 80% of people with this type of trauma don't make it. Before the second surgery, I feared the worst, I thought there was no way out”.

Yet Max came through and has made a full recovery. That time has nevertheless had a significant impact on his approach to life.

“I realised what makes me happy, what makes me go on with hope and joy, and that's my kids - he confesses - from that moment, I set myself priorities and, though it's not nice to say, I became more cynical, getting rid of the superfluous. I saw life getting shorter, like a road narrowing as you're racing at more than 300 km/h, and I started to get rid of what I didn't need”.

Biaggi has changed, but bikes remain a fixture in his life. He no longer races, but is a team manager, his squad set to debut in the Moto3 championship next year with rider Aron Canet. While racing is a closed chapter, Max still completes the odd lap on track.

“I promised my dad that I wouldn't ride again, but I meant racing. Now I only ride to enjoy myself, I don't race”.